Working for a better economy, better governance and a better society
The best gift from Santa would be economic freedom
If only it were possible to fill a stocking with economic freedom and leave lots of new jobs under the tree. Like everything else about 2020, this Christmas season has been quite different, and we at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii have had a lot of time to ponder...
‘We are going through one of the worst financial crises the state has ever faced’
Kauai radio host David Lister of Star 94.3 FM interviewed Keli’i Akina on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, about Hawaii’s precarious financial situation. Akina, president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, called it “one of the worst financial crises the...
‘Hawaii’s economic crisis and how to solve it’
As Hawaii’s coronavirus lockdown measures continue, its economic crisis is worsening and inquiring minds want to know what can be done about it. That’s why Johnny Miro of H.Hawaii Media featured Keli’i Akina of the Grassroot Institute on his Sunday...
Clear away the barriers that limit opportunity
Everyone talks about the need for a good economy, but few people stop to contemplate what that really means. On this week’s episode of my “Hawaii Together” program on ThinkTech Hawaii, I talked to Connor Boyack, president of the Libertas Institute in Utah, and...
Utah policy expert offers some tips for Hawaii
As promoted on ThinkTech Hawaii: The host for this episode is Keli’i Akina. The guest for this episode is Connor Boyack. Just as Covid-19 has inflicted death and disease upon Hawaii’s population, measures to deal with the pandemic have crippled our economy. As...
Hawaii can thrive despite one-party dominance
Photo by Charley Myers While voters across the nation settled in to await the final results of their state elections, in Hawaii it wasn’t hard to predict that the outcome would be a victory for the status quo. After all, that is what happens when yours is virtually a...
Can Hawaii’s lockdowns be overturned in court?
Many groups nationwide have filed lawsuits against the coronavirus emergency orders declared by their governors. Some have been successful. Others not, including at least two so far in Hawaii, in both state and federal court. Can Hawaii’s seemingly interminable state...
How to diversify Hawaii’s economy
We’ve heard the mantra for many decades: Hawaii’s economy needs to diversify. But lately we’re hearing it even more, thanks to the collapse of our state’s biggest industry, tourism, due to the coronavirus lockdowns implemented in March that continue to this day. The...
Great Lockdown Crash of 2020 is wake-up call for Hawaii lawmakers
This commentary was originally published, without the footnotes, in The Garden Island on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. _____________ Warren Buffett once said, “You only learn who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out.”[1] That includes states, and now that the...